According to multiple reports, the United States has launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles directed toward the Syrian government, days after the Syrian government unleashed chemical weapons on its citizens.
US officials told the Associated Press that the United States directed 60 missiles toward strategic air force targets in Syria. The missiles were reportedly fired from ships in the eastern Mediterranean.
The attack reportedly took place between 8 and 9 p.m. Eastern, which would be in the middle of the night in Syria.
The United States has had a tricky relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Syria has been in opposition with the Islamic State. The battle between Assad and the Islamic State has put the nation in a de facto civil war, which the United Nation claims has killed more than 400,000 citizens.
The US began launching air strikes in Syria in September 2014 under President Barack Obama as part of its coalition campaign against ISIS, but has only targeted the terrorist group and not Syrian government forces.
President Donald Trump reportedly will address the nation at some point Thursday evening. Trump is currently at his resort near Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was an opponent of attacking the Syrian government before taking office. In 2013, he tweeted that "bad things will happen" if then President Barack Obama would attack Assad's government.
But Trump said that the images from this year's chemical weapon attack affected him.
"I will tell you it's already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much," Trump said.
"When you kill innocent children -- innocent babies -- babies -- little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines," Trump said.
